167) Solo Movers 8:13 PM

When moving in or out of an apartment as a single girl, I find that there's a dual internal dialogue that takes place. As I packed the suitcases and boxes, sold almost all of my furniture on Craigslist, spackled all the nail holes, cleaned every surface, and hauled all my belongings down a flight of stairs and into my car one heavy box at a time, all I could hear in my head was, all the women who independent, throw your hands up at me (see above). But when I realized that I had to get my queen-sized mattress and bookshelf down said flight of stairs and onto the street solo, my thoughts quickly became, dang, I wish I had a guy here to help me.

It's generally expected that your significant other will wingman (or wingwoman) your move. It's understood that any tortuous lifting, packing, and transporting will be a shared experience, a joint effort whose fruits will be enjoyed later. The single ones are lacking of such a built in moving team. Asking a friend for help is a huge favor, one that dwarfs the ride to the airport request. (Mini aside - a HUMONGOUS THANK YOU to Skot, who rescued me from the mattress and bookshelf, and even helped me figure out the Tetris puzzle that was fitting all my possessions into the Civic.)

So here's to all the solo movers out there. It's simultaneously inspiring, liberating in that I-can-do-anything-on-my-own way, until you run into the one thing you can't do.

(Mini aside - Or major aside? After what seems like an eternity of move-out procedures, I turned in the keys to my apartment this afternoon. It was a fantastic spot, and I'll always look back fondly (slash yearningly?). These past couple of weeks have been a physical and emotional whirlwind, and I'm sort of glad that it's all coming to an end (not my time in LA, more the uprooting). I'm crashing at my aunt's house tonight, and then driving back to Palo Alto some time tomorrow morning. I feel like a "goodbye for now LA" post would have been appropriate, but I don't think my brain can handle it right now.)

166) Signs of the Times 11:00 PM

Two different signs of these social media times for you today, both involving Twitter.

1) On Monday, a California earthquake prediction tweet went viral, sending those in SoCal already suffering from record breaking heat into a frenzy.


The ALL CAPS warning directed people to an "scientific" looking website that a major 6.0-7.0 quake was predicted to hit Southern California on September 30. The real science community eventually called out the warning as a hoax, but not before the forecast was retweeted thousands of times over. The Twitter handle @Quakeprediction is still broadcasting its warning (now an urgent 24 HOUR EARTHQUAKE WARNING), and those unaware continue to retweet it.

2) Tuesday's terrifying University of Texas at Austin shooter incident put the campus on lockdown. Fortunately, students used Facebook and Twitter to communicate with those off-campus, and to keep informed on the situation. In fact, some only learned about the shooter when they snuck onto Facebook during lecture.

Sometimes for better, other times for worse, information spreads with the quickness.

(Mini aside - posts for the past few days have been pretty eh. Between the Craigslisting, packing, spackling and cleaning, there's been little time for deep thinking and post formulating. I move out of my apartment tomorrow, so hopefully there'll be more love for the blog then.)

165) Word Association 10:12 PM

(Photo from Asahi Beer.)

There's been a ton of news coverage on the Albert Brown death sentence controversy. What I didn't understand was why the phrase, "three drug cocktail" had become the standard way to refer to the lethal injection that involves three different drugs. Every single NPR reporter, every article in major news sources that I've come across has consistently used a word usually reserved for happy hour to describe a method of capital punishment.

Turns out, "cocktail" is the correct pharmaceutical term. From dictionary.com:

cocktail
–noun
1. any of various short mixed drinks, consisting typically of gin, whiskey, rum, vodka, or brandy, with different admixtures, as vermouth, fruit juices, or flavorings, usually chilled and frequently sweetened.
2. a portion of food, as seafood served with a sauce, a mixture of fruits, or juice, served as the appetizer course of a meal.
3. Pharmacology . a beverage or solution concocted of various drugs.
4. any eclectic mixture or miscellaneous collection.

A bit unfortunate that the appropriate term for this tri-blend lethal injection also carries associations of frivolity, fun and Sex and the City. Whenever I hear the phrase, I can't help but picture Albert Brown swirling a martini glass.

164) Singularity 11:20 PM

I was listening to some science show on KPCC public radio, and caught a segment on futurists and their predictions for the years to come. One gentleman matter of factly stated that computers and nanorobots with incredible memory capacity will be so small, they will be able to fit on the head of a pin. This will allow them to be fed into our bloodstream, not only swimming around and fixing our insides, but also communicating with external computers via a cloud network.

The rammification is what futurists call "singularity." From Popular Mechanics:

"Tiny bots might attach themselves to neurons in the brain and add their processing power--and that of other computers in the cloud--to ours, giving us mental resources that would dwarf anything available now. By stimulating the optic, auditory or tactile nerves, such nanobots might be able to simulate vision, hearing or touch, providing 'augmented reality' overlays identifying street names, helping with face recognition or telling us how to repair things we've never seen before."

Oh, this sci-fi world our future selves will live in.

(Mini aside - Short, random post today. I saw Catfish with my friend Jaemin tonight, and was really tempted to comment on it for today's post. Taking some time to figure out how to do so without spoiling the movie. Stay tuned.)

163) Very Important Past 11:04 PM

(Photo from popcrunch.)

As part of the move out process, I've been sorting through old notebooks that have piled up over the years. One of them, a heavy black sketchbook with thick pages that's served as my journal for the last decade, is especially entertaining to read through. My entries were much more frequent in those tumultuous, oh so tortured high school years. Nowadays it's a good year if I've written in it at least once.

The one thing that always kills me about my recording of the past is how serious everything seemed back then. Each incident with friends, each relationship or mild flirtation reads like a soap opera script. It's not so much the writing (I hope) - it's that I genuinely felt like everything was that important.

Here's my favorite example from high school, transcribed word for word. Names have been changed to protect the innocent:

Well, the inevitable happened. Charles broke up with Lisa today. She's taking it pretty hard. She's reacting physically. She says she's been crying for two days now and she can't seem to stomach any food. She said she threw up tonight. When she called she was crying so much - she was really crushed. Charles pulled a Matt and when she was telling me about it I became so sad because I remembered how it felt - the helplessness, the pain, etc. She sounded exactly like me when she called me crying. Role reversal. I wish I could be able to take all her pain away with one hug, but I know I can't. God, it just kills me to see her so sad. They went out for three months.

Kills me. But, I suppose it's human nature to believe that our lives are very, very important at any given stage.

162) The Post-Green Movement 6:21 PM

At the beginning, "eco" was a niche group - specialized, cause-driven and considered granola by the general public. As being green became increasingly chic, more and more companies, brands and consumers pinned and wore their eco merit badges proudly. It's become a lifestyle for those who choose to buy in. So when does eco stop being something you choose, and start being the standard?

I came across the newly launched online publication Standard Magazine earlier this month. It's the brainchild of interior designer Kelly LaPlante, who is known in the industry for her mantra - "Green is a standard, not a style." Flipping through the gorgeous editorials, you'll notice a lack of the words green, eco-friendly, fair trade, recycled, local, organic. LaPlante explains to fashion loves people:

“I feel it is time for a publication that does not point out eco-merits,” she says. “Why are we giving brownie points for ideas and qualities that should be standard? If a product is not made with respect to the planet — and to people — it simply will not appear in the pages of this publication. Not ever."

This effectively takes the emphasis off of eco, and allows the magazine's content to shine through. It also sets a great example for the rest of the green movement. Transitioning eco from trend to standard would be a huge accomplishment for advocates and the planet.

Flip through all 104 pages of Standard Magazine here, including a to-die-for shoot of a bachelorette party in Joshua Tree (pictured above). Can you think of any other companies/brands that have made green the standard?

161) Art Democratization 7:08 PM

In the past, the art/design industry has been made up of galleries and dealers selling enormously expensive pieces to the select few who can afford them. But lately, I've been seeing more and more of examples of art democratization. This movement is thanks to one part rethinking/rebellious spirit, and three parts the wonder that is the Internet. Here are a couple of my favorite examples.


To benefit a trifecta of artists, consumers, and charity, Edition One Hundred has flipped the old model on its head. The site curates online art exhibits, selling 100 limited edition prints of each piece for $100 a pop. Ten percent of each sale goes to a cause/charity of the artist's choice, infusing the artwork with deeper meaning.

In their own words:
"Edition One Hundred was born of this new era, with a mission to restore the economic power to the artists and the collectors themselves, while giving a percentage of all sales to charitable causes greater than ourselves. Edition One Hundred makes the collection of art a call to action, an act of commercial integrity, and, most simply put, a pure joy."



The second is TurningArt, which can only be described as Netflix for art. For a low monthly fee, TurningArt allows you to select and rotate pieces of art for your walls at a frequency of your choosing. With a huge selection of prints, free shipping, and included frames, the site makes it easy to enjoy a museum-like rotation of art. Fall in love with a piece? Every dollar spent earns you credit towards the purchase of an original work of art.

160) The Bad Guy 9:24 PM

(Left: Mark Zuckerberg. Right: Promotional poster for the movie The Social Network.)

Today, Ariana Huffington wrote an article titled, Troubled Times: When Mark Zuckerberg's Inspiring, Courageous Generosity Is Not Good Enough. In it, she laments the media's resounding conclusion that Zuckerberg's $100 million donation to the Newark school district is no more than savvy PR.

Whether he deserves it or not, Mark has always been pegged as the bad guy. Somehow the public must reconcile the fact that this alleged do-badder continues to successfully run one of the most highly valued companies today. While his company can seemingly do no wrong, garnering millions of users who can't live without the site, Zuckerberg as a person can do no right. And when he does right, it's interpreted as wrong.

I'm not trying to say that he's innocent or a saint, but something tells me we have bigger fish to fry. Example (much bigger):

(Photo from the LA Times.)

159) Our Good Side 7:14 PM

Self perception is a funny thing. When you look in the mirror, is the person you see the same one you see in photos? Stories about those with eating disorders are rife with mismatched self images. A girl looks into the mirror and sees extra flab, when in reality her weight is normal. On the flipside, she looks in the mirror after purging and thinks she looks great, while a camera records her skeletal frame.

This extends beyond such extreme examples. There's a reason why we feel slightly uncomfortable or anxious when looking at pictures of ourselves, or hearing our voices recorded. Many times, what we see or hear in these third person imprints of ourselves isn't what we ourselves perceive.

Since we never see ourselves from all angles as others do, we have a limited view of what we look like. We formulate an image based on our narrow perspective - often from our best or worst angle. Thus, sometimes when I look at photos, the person that I see doesn't look exactly like the person I see in the mirror. It's as if I see the best version of myself in my reflection, and all photos are merely shades of me striving to match this Utopian image. In the best pictures, the me in the photo matches the me in the mirror. Make sense?

From this negotiation of self image springs the phenomenon of one's "good side". Over time, we establish what angle makes us look the "best". Flip through a few Profile Picture albums on Facebook (female skew) and you'll notice the same positioning of the head and body. It's my guess that this "good side" is the closest to our own self perception - our skewed version of ourselves.

Note on the photo: An example of photo image matching up with mirror image - aka what I believe to be a great photo of myself. Demonstrates the quintessential Natalie pose - chin slightly down, head tilted to the right.

158) Color Trends 7:10 PM

(Photos from refinery29.)

Can someone explain to me how color trends emerge? Every season, without fail, designers somehow come to a consensus of what colors to use in their collections. Certain shades start to repeat themselves on the runway. The fashion press scoops them up, celebrities, fashionistas and bloggers incorporate them into their outfits, mass brands follow suit, and the general public clamors for them.

Assuming designers work independently and don't consult each other on color choice, from where and why do these color selection coincidences arise? While there is an element of artistic whimsy, there is also a deeper socio-cultural-economic reason. And it goes far beyond the idea of "fall colors" - it's a very specific hue that becomes en vogue. For fall 2010, the consensus is that the two biggest color trends are camel and olive (pictured above). There is something so nuanced about a precise shade coming into fashion at a particular time.

The Pantone Color Institute released a Fashion Color Report for Fall 2010, which attempts to decode this season's palette. I'm not entirely sold on their explanation, but appreciate them delving into the matter. You can download the full report here - it's worth a scroll through.

157) Virtual Screening 7:20 PM

After diving head first into the world of Craigslist, here are some nuances I've noticed.

1) Through the power of Facebook, I can now pull up a potential buyer's info and picture about 80% of the time. This has been pretty handy in the screening for potential rapists/abductors/robbers process. This afternoon I had to act surprised when one buyer said she had just moved from New York. Little did she know that I had chosen her out of several potential buyers for that very reason (mission accomplished - she offered to email me some NY restaurant/bar recs). So sneaky! slash creepy.

2) You will be irrationally judged on your email address. Gmail - you're a trustworthy candidate. UCLA.edu - welcome to my home, fellow Bruin. AOL - a little suspicious, but you're probably just over 50. Yahoo or Hotmail - you are a potential rapist/abductor/robber who will most likely not get a response regarding the couch (unless you check out on Facebook, of course).

3) Stick to your story. Any wavering and wishyness in potential buyers' emails throws up red flags. One buyer told me she was interested in my table, but that she didn't have a big enough car. She then started asking about my couch, which, last time I checked, is bigger than the table. Another wrote that while we'd like to come pick up the TV stand today, we're a one car family, and it's currently down in San Diego. Nice try, Namibian lottery. In all seriousness, these examples probably seem innocuous and silly, but when you're a 112 pound single female who lives alone, precautions must be taken.

4) Not everyone is a rapist/abductor/robber. I've made five sales thus far, and to my surprise, each one has been a pleasure. Courteous, quick and easy transactions with no haggling, sprinkled with friendly chit chat. I'd like to think it's my rigorous (read: paranoid) screening process, but deeper than that is the fact that there are plenty of normal people out there just looking for cheap furniture.

156) Possessions for Sale 9:20 PM

Today was a flurry of Craigslist posting, a frenzied attempt to get rid of almost all the furniture in my apartment. It's something I've been dreading for the past couple of weeks, a huge bruise on my to-do list. So starting at 9AM, I diligently photographed, uploaded, priced, described and posted my way through the day.

Be careful what you wish for, they say. By 2PM I had posted about 2/3 of my stuff, but already had a flood of unread Craigslist emails waiting for me. By 3PM, two people had come by and suddenly my comfy reading chair (IKEA Poang, the best), and my bicycle (I don't want to think about it, it's too sad) were gone. I was overwhelmed at the thought of myself spending my last days in LA in an empty apartment, eating on the floor and having only my mattress to sit down on (goodbye couch, goodbye dining chairs). I took down the floor lamps I had posted, because thinking about doing all that in the dark was just too much to handle.

We live in a time (read: recession, backlash of excess spending) where living minimally is smiled upon and considered wise. People tell you not to get attached to material possessions. For me, it's not so much that these cheap pieces of IKEA furniture hold sentimental value (except the bike. sigh). There is no way I'm bringing anything other than clothes and shoes to NY, so it makes perfect sense to get rid of things. It's the uber-literal dismantling (in IKEA's case, the disassembling) of my life in LA that's getting to me. Seeing the home you've created be taken away piece by piece is...(10 minutes of blinking cursor...can't think of the word to describe it. Difficult? Yes. Heartbreaking? Yes. Cathartic? Somewhat. Necessary? Yes.)

Stay tuned tomorrow for some fun Craiglist oddities and observations.

155) Love Triangle 9:33 PM

(Super serious photo from The Columnists.)

Is there anything more riveting than a love triangle? Tonight a friend and I were waxing nostalgic about TV series of the 90s. He brought up Dawson's Creek, whose plot line leans heavily on the triangle between Dawson, Joey and Pacey. Whether in fictional Capeside, Massachusetts or Forks, Washington (Team Jacob!), these triangles follow a distinct formula.

While there are counter examples (Betty-Archie-Veronica, Pam-Jim-Karen), most triangles feature a woman caught between two men. The suitors, so to speak, are always opposites both in personality (good boy vs. bad boy) and in physical appearance (hair being the main differentiation - blond hair vs. dark hair). In order to sustain the storyline, the two men are equals with pros and cons that vacillate inversely of one another.

Some memorable love triangles (note: isosceles) from pop culture:
- Dawson's Creek: Dawson-Joey-Pacey
- Felicity: Ben-Felicity-Noel
- Gilmore Girls: Dean-Rory-Jess
- Bridget Jones' Diary: Mark-Bridget-Daniel
- Lost: Jack-Kate-Sawyer
- Twilight: Edward-Bella-Jacob

What is it, exactly, that makes love triangles so watchable? Is it that we live vicariously through the pinnacle of the triangle, being courted by two equally charming prospects? Is it the idea of choice, of making the right decision - the tension between head vs. heart? Is it because we choose a side as viewers, championing one over the other? (Team Jacob!)

154) Adult Services 9:05 PM

(Photo from Athensboy's blog.)

Yesterday, news broke that Craigslist will not be reinstating its "adult services" section that quietly went down earlier this month. After receiving heat from law enforcement officials and non-profits over prostitution and child trafficking, the site decided to salvage what little cred it had left. Unfortunately, Craigslist's slow-mo response, reluctance to talk to the media about the issue, and curious decision to keep similar adult service sections live overseas has caused critics to question its motives.

Craigslist's role in the sex trade industry has become so ingrained that many users have acclimated, accepting it as a con of an otherwise useful site. Despite knowing that sex trafficking runs rampant (quote from End Human Trafficking: "Trafficking survivor-turned-advocate Tina Frundt of Courtney's House said every single victim she's worked with has been sold on Craigslist at some point, and every pimp she's met has a MySpace page where they recruit. And all agreed that in the 21st century, child sex trafficking has gone cyber."), it's still the site I turn to for cheap furniture, apartment rentals/sublets, and selling things I don't need.

Over the years, Craigslist has remained consistent as a brand, opting to keep its layout and functions down and dirty and basic. It's become somewhat of an institution, thanks to this simplicity, its openness (no need to create an account) and its timeliness. It'll be interesting to see where Craigslist goes from here PR-wise. While critics wait to see what it'll do to save face, I can't help but wonder if the layman (non-law enforcement official, non-nonprofit activist) even cares.

153) What's in Your Bag 7:42 PM

One of our lecturers in Barcelona turned me on to the what's in your bag? photo pool on Flickr. The concept is simple enough - participants contribute snapshots of the contents of their bag. The group currently boasts 19,234 members and 10,546 uploaded photos. Take a look-see - it's fun to look through the pictures, in that wonderfully voyeuristic way.

Public sites like this, where people are free to post (other examples: Craigslist and comment boxes of major news sources) inadvertently create an organic gold mine of information. While researchers/strategists would kill for this kind of data, how many of us would be willing to open up our bags for the world to see? And yet, here are people willingly, nay, enthusiastically posting just that. Even better, they take the time to tag each object, creating a handy set of group tags. Want to see what else people who tote a Moleskine carry in their bag? Easy peasy.

The trick is how to trace this quasi-anonymous info back to an actual person. Most Flickr users don't create a detailed profile for themselves, making it difficult to draw conclusions on what type of people are toting around these items. While the pool gives us a general sampling of items (at these numbers, valuable in itself), further demographic details would be needed to make the things we carry meaningful. The irony is that it is anonymity that allows people to willing post personal and honest comments and what's in your bag? photos on public forums.

Note on photo: Ghetto-tastic Photo Booth shot of what's in my bag. Pretty basic. From left to right: Two rings I was wearing earlier, Maybelline mascara, Fossil wallet, Android phone, pencil and pen (I lose my mind when I don't have a pen handy), and weekly At-a-Glance planner. If you're feeling motivated, snap a pic of what's in your bag and send it to natalieyoungkim(at)gmail.com. Photos will not be posted without permission (if posted at all), and are more for my entertainment than anything.

152) Traveling Shoes 8:07 PM

Arrived safely from Asia around noon today. These past few months, I've seen, experienced and traveled more than I have in a long time. I've been calling it my transition period - always moving, living out of a suitcase, nothing permanent. And while this affords one priceless new experiences, expanded thinking and broader horizons (as they say), it's ultimately not the lifestyle I want to maintain. Nevertheless, I am so, so thankful for the time I've had to just roam - I know how rare it is.

About three years ago during my senior year in college, my then-boyfriend told me I should get rid of these sandals. Already a couple years old, I'd worn them all over campus, stamping up and down the hilly streets of Westwood. Little did I know that they would become my well-worn companions for the next few years. From everyday frolicking in Los Angeles, to the cobblestones of Barcelona, to the sulfur-y smelling streets of China - the shoes have been everywhere. Yesterday they were completely submerged in water after we got caught in a huge downpour at the World Expo. Their time had finally come, and I left them in the trash can of our hotel in Shanghai.

It's time (for now) to hang up (in this case, throw away) my traveling shoes. My transition period is coming to an end, culminating in my exodus from LA and the move to New York. I want to get to know NY as intimately - no, more intimately - than I know LA. I can't wait to start making it my new home.

P.S. - The shoes actually don't look that bad in the grainy Photo Booth pic I snapped before we left. What you can't see is the patchy, scraped through leather straps, the permanent indentation of my foot, and the heel worn down to nothing. In the end, they may not have smelled like roses either.

(Mini aside - More personal pep talk than analytical post today. Working through some minor jetlag. Feels good to be back in generally the same time zone as you all.)

151) Slasher Rules 10:44 AM

My family and I enjoyed a day at the World Expo, complete with a torrential down pour (mental image: completely soaked despite full body plastic poncho). Yes, the lines were long, some people were rude, and the pavilions were stunning. But I'm going to save the Expo post for when I get back so I can include pictures.

My family and I spent our last night in Shanghai watching the 2009 version of Friday the 13th on Cinemax. Part of the fun of watching slasher films - especially in a group - is being able to predict exactly what's going to happen. A few rules of thumb that we noticed:

1) The girl/couple who just had sex is going to die.
2) The louder, more obnoxious the character, the sooner s/he's going to die.
3) The minorities - in this movie, an African American guy and an Asian guy - are going to die.
4) There's always a single cop that shows up, a quick glimmer of hope - he's going to die.
5) If you are one of three people running away from the bad guy, never run in the rear, especially if you have to be helped through some sort of small opening. If you do, you're most likely going to die, just as you're reaching through.
6) If you're opening something - a closet, a shower curtain, a mirror - and there's no music, the bad guy is behind you.
7) Ladies - no matter how hard you clamp your hand over your mouth, some of your whimpering will escape, and the bad guy will hear you.
8) No matter what you do, the bad guy NEVER dies.

(Mini aside - excited to be back in the states tomorrow! In the bay for a few days, then back down to LA for some major uprooting action. I hope you've all had a good September - I can't wait to plug back in to social media to see what you've been up to, as creepy as that sounds...)

150) Contemporary Art 9:05 AM

Today we braved the rain and visited the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCa). I try to make a point of stopping by the contemporary art museum in each city, just to try to get a handle on the concept of contemporary art. Sometimes - especially in front of those video projections - I just have to take it for what it is.

Do you ever get museum fatigue? That feeling where the pieces start to blur together. You get tired of reading those little ID placards, and start walking double time, stopping only when something really catches your eye. For me this occurs less frequently in contemporary art museums. What is deemed art, genius, and talent gets blurred when the word "contemporary" is attached. But that's what makes it so interesting, n'est pas?

(Mini aside - World Expo tomorrow! Getting ready for sweaty, standing in line fun. Then it's back to the land of Facebook and Blogger, my cell phone, real life.)

149) Pavilion Picks 2:15 PM

I've been scouring the web for must-see recommendations for the World Expo in Shanghai. We'll be attending on Tuesday, and the notoriously long lines and ticket demand will limit what we're able to see. It's so interesting to read what each country has chosen to represent itself with, what physical manifestation of its culture it wishes to present to the rest of the world. Sources say that the U.S. pavilion is super corporate, essentially a series of giant ads (which is fitting, no?). At the top of my list are the Japanese, Saudi Arabian, and Nepalese exhibits. We'll see how the day goes.

(Mini aside - Long day, short post. Exhausted and heading to bed.)

148) Places of Worship 10:21 AM

Today we went on a 9 mile hike into the Jiuzaighou valley - think the Yosemite of China. The area is home to Tibetan villagers who still live within the park. At several points we came across areas of forest strung with multicolored prayer flags. Strings of the gauzy, rectangular pieces of material stamped with scripture and images zig zag through the trees at eye level, creating this fantastic rainbow display. The newer flags are brightly hued in primary colors, while the old ones have faded to pastel shades with time. (I wish, wish, wish that I could post some of the pictures I took today - will have to wait until I get back)

Religion has never been a part of my life, but there's no denying the sacredness of places of worship. Churches, mosques, synagogues, forests filled with prayer flags - they all evoke a certain specialness when you're inside them. Another example: in Barcelona, I visited the church of Santa Maria del Mar, and burst into tears when the youth choir starting singing. Something about the combination of the sunlight streaming into the grandiose gothic cathedral, the soaring ceiling and the voices set me off (again, a visual would help). Even if a particular religion doesn't appeal to you, the weight that others place on their place of worship can be felt. A sort of osmosis of holiness.

P.S. - Here's the answer to the prisoner riddle, for those of you who're following along. When prisoner B doesn't hear prisoner C speak up, he knows that he can't have the same color cap as prisoner A. If prisoner A and prisoner B's caps are both white, then prisoner C would automatically know that his cap is black and would answer. But since prisoner A's is white and prisoner B's is black, prisoner C can't tell what color his cap is. Therefore, he is silent, and prisoner B knows his cap is black.

Make sense? Hopefully delivering the riddle via blog wasn't too confusing. A friend made the wise suggestion to include some sort of penalty for guessing wrong, since the prisoners could just shout of whatever color in an effort to go free. In another version of the riddle, the warden tells the prisoners that if they guess correctly, all the prisoners go free, but if they guess incorrectly, they'll all be killed. I think it's a good detail to include, should you pass the riddle along.

(Mini aside - Tomorrow morning we're flying to Shanghai for the last leg of our trip. I am ridiculously excited, as it's been compared to New York and London. Three days there, and then it's back to the states!)

147) Flying vs. Invisibility 10:43 AM

We're paying 10 yuen per hour to share internet access on one desktop computer. My brothers have left me 20 minutes, so this will have to be quick.

I was listening to my back episodes of This American Life via podcast, and heard a really great piece by John Hodgeman. It centered around the seemingly simple choice of the power to fly or the power of invisibility. He recorded people's answers and delved into the psychology behind it. The general consensus was that flying was the power for people who wanted to let it all hang out, the charismatic, ostentatious ones who would kick up their feet and zoom away. Invisibility, on the other hand, was for the creepers, the perverted ones who would use their power to spy on naked people. One power is all about being seen, while the other, quite literally, is about being hidden from view.

One of his surveyees broke it down, saying that people will say that they'd choose flight, but that deep down, they would want invisibility - that we all would gravitate towards the more underhanded, slightly perverse power. Hodgeman said it even better as he wrapped up the act. For him, it's impossible to choose between the two powers because in the end it came down to the person he wants to be versus the person that he actually is.

The concept of digging deep down, being truly honest with one's self and figuring out what we want in our heart of hearts - the good, the bad and the ugly - is so fascinating to me. Much of the time, what we uncover isn't pretty, isn't the socially favorable option or answer. So we bury it so deeply that we sometimes never realize our true nature, or what we really want.

P.S.- There was some confusion over yesterday's riddle. To clarify, the prisoners can't see their own caps, and aren't allowed to reach up and remove them to see. And they only have to identify the color of their own cap, not the other prisoners'.

146) Tidbits 9:25 AM

I'm having a total brain void this morning, and nothing coherent or meaningful is coming together. In the interest of actually posting something, here are a couple tidbits I've been thinking about.

1) LA Times "In the News" links for 9/8: TAX CUTS  -  TORTURE LAWSUIT  -  PIERS MORGAN  -  BP SPILL PROBE  -  WESTLAKE SHOOTING. One of these things is not like the others.

2) It's all relative. I know I said this in Barcelona, but comparing cities puts a lot into perspective. For example, Beijing and Xian's smog and traffic make LA look like Eden. In China's big cities, even when it's sunny out, the sky is this eerie, hazy grey/yelow color, and you feel like you can actually see the pollution particles swirling around you. Driving here is essentially one big game of chicken.

3) A little brain exercise for you. My brother told me a riddle the other day, and I thought it was worth passing on.
There are four prisoners in jail. Three of them are standing on a large staircase, prisoner A on the lowest step, prisoner B on the middle step, and prisoner C on the highest step. They are facing down the stairs, so each can only see what's in front of him (prisoner C can see prisoner B and prisoner A, prisoner B can see A, etc). Prisoner D is in an entirely separate room with no windows. Each prisoner wears a cap - A's is white, B's is black, C's is white and D's is black.

The warden tells them, "Each of you is wearing either a white or black cap. There are two white caps and two black caps. The first person to correctly tell me what color cap he's wearing goes free." Without turning around or speaking to each other, which prisoner (if any) can tell what color cap he has on?

(Mini aside - Tonight we're flying into a mountainous part of China for a couple days of outdoorsiness. Again, I'm told the hotel will be interwebs connected, but who knows.)

145) Personal Flair 9:32 AM

If you want to get thousands of replications of something produced for cheap, you go to China. The country is notorious for its mass manufacturing. On the streets of Xian, vendor after vendor sells identical miniature Terra Cotta Warriors, jade bangles and fat wooden buddhas. The densely populated city streets teem with people, who while unique individuals, possess less physical diversity than one would see in the states. It's easy to think that China is a land of sames, of look-a-likes, of generally conformity. 

But not quite. Today while visiting the famed clay warriors, we saw a huge group of what looked to be middle school children on a field trip. They streamed into the museum area, quickly organizing into several straight lines. They all - boys and girls - wore identical uniforms of head to toe camouflage. But as we passed them, I looked down at their feet. Converse, Nike, adidas, K Swiss, Kappa - each student had on his or her choice brand of sneakers. Some had even drawn on their shoes for further personalization. What initially looked like a sea of sameness gave way to these pieces of personal flair.

144) Created Exclusivity 10:41 AM

These days it's common to see upper echelon brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci in Korean shopping centers. The store fronts are all glass and brushed rose gold-looking metal, with the bags of the moment sitting plump and resplendent in their logos, much like you'd see in the states. What you don't usually see at home is the line of people waiting to get into the store. The roped off queue and bouncer usually reserved for special events like iPhone release dates is an every day thing at these stores.

By controlling the number of people who enter the store at one time, these brands take the idea of exclusivity and luxury to the next level. It's not enough to be paying thousands for one handbag. There's an added (emotional) value after you've had to wait twenty minutes in line to simply get into the store. An every day visit to Louis Vuitton, even just to browse, feels like an event. This concept of creating exclusivity is rampant in marketing, but seeing it in an already-luxury brand gave cause for note. Also pondering why this isn't the case in the US - why it wouldn't work there.

(Mini aside - Traveling to Xian via overnight train tonight. We should have internet when we get there, but who knows. Keep 'em crossed.)

143) Shmasensored 10:32 AM

Hello from Beijing! I ran into a road block today when I tried to get on blogger.com to write today's post - no dice. For fear of being shmasensored by the powers that be, let's just say that posting for the remainder of the trip will be challenging. In an effort to not have a break in posts (and to not be silenced), I'll be sending posts to a godsend friend who will post them for me. While this means more rudimentary posts - no links, and maybe no pictures - hopefully they'll still be coherent and interesting. I have no idea whether this will work or not, but I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. I can't even see whether entries have been posted, so please bear with the temporary craziness.

Without going too much into it, I'll just say this. It's amazing what people accept, and how matter-of-factly crazy examples of not so pleasant things are stated. As for the freedom to write whatever you want (or the freedom to access your blog, period), it's true - you really don't know what you got til it's gone.

142) Big Bang 6:16 AM

Pop idolatry in Korea is on a whole other level. The rabid adoration, the screams, the posters and endorsements all over town that feature groups whose influences stretch much further than the music industry. While the age of the pop group in the US (Backstreet Boys, N'SYNC, 98 Degrees) has lost its mojo, it's dancing, crooning and thriving here in Korea.

BIGBANG, pictured above, is one such hip hop boy band. According to Wikipedia, they were the most searched artist in South Korea at the end of 2009. Aside from their musical prowess and ability to melt hearts, they're known for their fashion sway. Check out their rap sheet from Wikipedia:

Dubbed as "Big Bang fashion", their style has gained a following throughout Asia. The group first adopted the "hip-hop" image concept for their debut. The release of Always in 2007 was accompanied by a change in image, with the group leaning towards a more preppy-punk style, including skinny jeans with Converse or high-top sneakers which became a still ongoing trend in South Korea. Taeyang also traded his cornrows for a faux hawk. Seen wearing brands such as Bape, 10 deep, Louis Vuitton, and Phenomenon, Big Bang also wears custom printed hoodies for many of their performances and music videos. They were also credited for bringing back "old school" fashion into the mainstream, such as Nike and Reebok high-top shoes. Described as the "most fashionable" one in the group, G-Dragon is known to sport triangular scarves that were later nicknamed "Big Bang scarves".

The trends! Those names!

(Mini aside: the eye is almost completely better. Tomorrow morning it's off to Beijing!)

141) Young Couples 4:53 PM

(Photo from Tales from Corea del Sur.)

Walk the streets of Seoul and you'll notice that young love is in the air. Everywhere you look there are pairs of lovebirds linked at the hands. But you also see some things that you probably wouldn't see in the US. Like a couple on a bicycle for two, except not a tandem - the girl just sits on the second seat while the guy pedals for both. Or a guy holding not only his girlfriend's shopping haul, but also her handbag as they walk down the street. And my favorite, spotted on a particularly hot day - a Korean male walking behind his girlfriend, holding up her hair and fanning her neck (we're talking with a real fan) while they walked.

My brother Max, who has been studying abroad in Seoul for the summer, told me that Korean men are known to dote on their girlfriends. The question, as always, is why? Unfortunately, I haven't had the time (or language skills) to really delve into the topic, but from a few brief conversations with family and friends, here's a speculation.

It would seem that in a traditionally patriarchal society the women would be expected to serve the men. This may still hold in married Korean couples, but contradicts the behavior of young couples we see on the streets. Interestingly, the hierarchy manifests itself in a different way in this courtship period before marriage. When dating, Korean men dote on their significant others as a sort of showmanship of his ability to take care of a woman. There's an aspect of bravado and old fashioned chivalry expressed in modern day. So while holding your woman's purse and fanning her Cleopatra-style in public may not seem all that manly, here it is just that - an expression of male dominance.

I cringe to think what this post would have been like, had I been able to talk to these young couples. Let's just consider this an uneducated hypothesis. I suspect that the answer is much more complicated. No doubt this behavior has evolved, and that the socio-ideals of Korean youth have to be considered.

140) America's Sweetheart 6:13 AM

(Lyrics NSFW)

Everyone is loving Cee-Lo Green's newest single and video, "Fuck You." In fact, it's been awhile since such a widespread crowd pleaser hit the interwebs. I showed the video to my brothers this evening, since they were abroad when the song hit the states. Like the rest of the general public, they were immediate fans, so I thought I'd virtually jot down a few comments.

What is it exactly that makes the song so dang likeable? Sure, it's incredibly catchy in that old school Motown way. But it's the combination of this constantly-stuck-in-your-head tune with certain archetypal themes that really drives the song into our hearts. You've got the a rags to riches tale, a revenge story of underdog boy snubbing better-than-thou girl ("Sk8ter Boi" anyone?). Add lyrics that suggest the noble idea that love shouldn't cost you anything, rounded out with pop culture references like Xbox vs. Atari. Plus, who hasn't wanted to deliver an oh so satisfying "FUCK YOU" their ex's new fling thing? Sometimes, there's really only one way to say it.

139) Little Things 1:34 AM

I'm usually not one for scare tactics, especially of a personal nature, but here goes.

This morning, I woke up to find my left eye inflamed and achy. It was a sort of pain I've never experienced when it came to eyes - instead of the usually stinging or itching, it was like a dull ache in my socket. As if that wasn't enough, there appeared to be a tiny white dot on my cornea that wasn't there before. Luckily, my uncle of influence was in town working at Samsung Hospital, and immediately got us an appointment with an eye doctor. It was one of those sneak-through-the-back-door operations, for which I am so grateful.

After a morning of eye prodding, photographing and scraping (no joke, sat with my eye in a clamp à la Clockwork Orange and looked up into a light, while the doctor poked my eyeball with what looked like a little pin), we received the diagnosis. Believe you me, there is nothing more terrifying than listening to a doctor tell your parents what's wrong in a completely foreign language.

The verdict is that I have a corneal infection, caused by my soft contact lens. Thankfully, the infection site (ugh, so gross sounding) is on the periphery of my cornea and not on the pupil, so my already bad vision won't be affected. We were sent home with an antibiotic regimen that involves 2 drops every hour for 24 hours (it's going to be a long night). Also, contacts have been banned for three weeks. A small price to pay for healthy eyes. I was lucky enough to catch it early, but keratitis is a serious matter.

I'd like to think that the infection was caused by my choice to wear and sleep in my lenses on the 12 hour flight to Korea. But really, this was a long time coming. True, I've never had any trouble like this in my 6+ years of soft contact lens wearing. That being said, I admit that I wear each pair a week or two longer than I should, and I don't rub them with solution the way I'm supposed to. Bubbling protein soak? Forget about it.

To all my dear Plan readers - take care of the little things. It's so easy to get lazy, but they'll catch up with you, sometimes in the most inopportune time. And all of a sudden, the little things become a big thing.

138) Something in the Water 12:15 AM

(Photo from Gizmodo.)

Often, tap water gets a bad rap (thanks, BMH). The debate between tap, bottled and filtered is a long, familiar one with no commonly held conclusion. It seems that everyone has their own strongly held opinion of which water is fit to drink.

Accordingly, each country that I've visited this summer has their own way of handling tap water in restaurants. In Spain, tap isn't even offered, forcing diners to shell out a few euro for the bottled variety. Here in Korea, tap water is brought out immediately, but is generally served in small ceramic cups that barely sate thirsty American tourists, who are used to large cups of constantly refilled water. Back in the states, it can get even more specific, with some swearing by the tap water in one city, and avoiding it completely in another.

The whole concept of the taste of water, or what's in your water is sort of funny, if you think about it. I'm imaging an H20 tasting room where people hold glasses from different regions up to the light. They swirl, taste and spit, commenting on the metal, mineral, or chlorine finish, and the mouth feel. Since tap water sources are so localized, we never have any way to really compare - though, we don't let that stop us from insisting that there are differences in taste.

(Mini aside - Short post today, or tomorrow since Korea is 16 hours ahead. With all the exploring and eating, and the one shared computer for the family, it's been more difficult to get posts done. Seoul is complete sensory overload, but in the best way possible. Unfortunately, I left the cord that connects my camera to the computer in LA, so all pictures will have to be posted once I'm back.)